In Galileo’s world, music and astronomy were taught as complementary sciences, and both were understood as subdisciplines of mathematics. It was believed the harmonious motions of the planets created the music of the spheres which is a music, imperceptible to human ears. This edition of In Conversation looks at composers who have been inspired by astronomy and the works that they created.
William Herschel (1738-1822)
Symphony No 2 in D: III Allegro
London Mozart Players
Matthias Bamert (conductor)
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Il mondo della luna, Hob. XXVIII:7: Sinfonia
Vienna Haydn Sinfonietta
Manfred Huss (conductor)
Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
The Planets, Op. 32: VI. Uranus, the Magician
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan (conductor)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1986)
Serenade to Music
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Peter Oundijan (conductor)
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)
Symphony No. 53, Op. 378, “Star Dawn”: I. Maestoso sostenuto
Royal Scottish Academy of Music Wind Orchestra
Keith Brion (conductor)
William Herschel was a German-born British astronomer and composer who discovered the planet Uranus. Herschel’s father was an army musician so William, who played the oboe, the violin, harpsichord and later the organ decided to follow the same profession.
He became interested in the theory of music, which eventually led thim studying Smith’s A Compleat System of Opticks, which introduced him to the techniques of telescope construction and whetted his appetite for viewing the night sky.
In 1781, during a survey of the night sky, William came upon an object that he realised was not an ordinary star. It proved to be the planet Uranus and was the first planet to be discovered since prehistoric times.
Herschel, however, always maintained his musical studies, composing numerous works, including 24 symphonies and many concertos, as well as some church music.
In 1766, Herschel became organist of the Octagon Chapel, Bath, a fashionable chapel in a well-known spa, in which city he was also Director of Public Concerts.
In 1780, Herschel was appointed director of the Bath orchestra, with his sister often appearing as soprano soloist.
Herschel completed his Symphony No 2 in September, 1760 in Richmond, Yorkshire. His symphonies remained unpublished during his lifetime and were therefore only performed under his personal direction, and only by the forces available to him. His pool of available players were at comparatively small town music associations and house parties frequented by royal guests.
Il mondo della luna is a tuneful, beautifully constructed overture which raises the curtain on a raucous romantic comedy in the Italian opera buffa tradition.
It’s as formulaic as any current rom-com, and no less sexy — opening with a would-be astronomer convincing his girlfriend’s father that, with the aid of a powerful telescope, they can spy on ladies undressing on the moon.
Not really the kind of libretto you would expect of the sober, temperate Haydn, whom two generations of great composers called “Papa”!
Written in 1750, Carlo Goldoni’s libretto for Il mondo della luna had already been set by a half dozen or so composers before Haydn got his hands on it in 1777.
He composed his version for the wedding celebration of Count Nikolaus Esterházy, the younger son of his most important patron.
Though the opera relies on Italian forms and stock characters, it is sometimes performed — very rarely — in German, as Die Welt auf dem Monde.
Composed in C major, the overture treats us to some serious fun, mixing the energy and cheer of outlandish comical doings with the dignity expected by the royal listeners for whom Haydn composed.
Written between 1914-1916 by Gustav Holst, Holst’s cosmic masterpiece, The Planets, offers an enchanting portrayal of Earth’s celestial neighbours.
Holst draws on astrological traits and mythological nature to create seven unique movements – from the ominous, fierce, and remorseless Mars to the majestic and poignant beauty of Saturn – taking listeners on a musical journey through our solar system.
The Planets represents all the known planets of the Solar System seen from Earth at the time. Uranus, the Magician begins with four brassy notes but soon shifts from heavy timpani blows to a boisterous gallop.
The full orchestra shows the impressive power of this icy planet, represented in Greek mythology as the god of the sky, a magician who invokes and manipulates unseen elemental forces.
In this movement Holst feels in his element, confident, enthusiastic, humorous, daring and original.
Although Holst is best known for The Planets, he composed many other works across a range of genres, although none achieved comparable success sadly.
The inspiration of the English folksong revival of the early 20th century, and the example of such rising modern composers as Maurice Ravel, led Holst to develop and refine an individual and distinctive compositional style which was also influenced by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss
Serenade to Music is an orchestral concert work completed in 1938 by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, written as a tribute to conductor Sir Henry Wood.
The words used in the piece come from Act V of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, a romantic scene where the lovers sit under the stars and become enraptured by the music of the spheres.
Vaughan Williams later arranged the piece into versions for chorus and orchestra and solo violin and orchestra.
The premiere followed a first-half performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the composer himself at the piano.
Apparently, Rachmaninov was moved to tears by the Serenade in the second half. Given the rather specific orchestration, it wasn’t the easiest piece to include in concerts or recordings but the work was first recorded with the original ‘cast’ just ten days after the premiere. Vaughan Williams himself conducted it at one of the opening concerts at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1951, and the following decade Leonard Bernstein conducted it at the opening of New York’s Avery Fisher Hall.
Alan Hovhaness was an American composer of Armenian and Scottish descent, notable for his eclectic choice of material from non-European traditions.
Hovhaness studied composition with Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Bohuslav Martinů.
By age 30 he had grown interested in Armenian music, and he later broadened his focus to include music of the Middle East and Asia.
In 1966 he became composer in residence with the Seattle Symphony. Hovhaness’s compositions drew on many exotic rhythmic, melodic, and instrumental resources, as his descriptive titles indicate.
His style is often modal and rhythmically intricate, but it is lyrically expressive and de-emphasizes harmony.
Hovhaness’s early work is mostly lost, because he supposedly destroyed about 1,000 pieces in 1940. His stage works include several chamber operas, the score to the Broadway production of The Flowering Peach (1954) and large works for soloists, chorus, and orchestra which include the Magnificat (1959), Lady of Light (1969), and The Way of Jesus (1974).
His instrumental works range from keyboard and chamber music to more than two dozen symphonies and many other orchestral compositions.
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